Pressure

Both teams can bring the heat, and despite losing Denver Broncos’ 1^st Round draft pick Von Miller, the Aggies have been particularly lethal.  Consider that in their first game of the season, they got to SMU quarterbacks seven times, led by DE Tony Jerod-Eddie’s three on the night.  This beating included a benching of SMU QB Kyle Padron-thought by many to be a preseason All-CUSA QB- by Mustangs coach June Jones.  Within minutes, Padron had thrown two interceptions.

Oklahoma State used a myriad of zone blitzes and man pressures vs. Arizona in Week 2 to keep Nick Foles in check.  Arizona’s struggles in the Red Zone were in large part due to the lack of a running game.  The biggest difference in defending the Aggies is their strong running game-arguably one of the nation’s best. 

Run, Run, Run

Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Bill Young mixes 3-man fronts to force pass happy teams to drive the length of the field.  It worked well in the season’s first two games, but that all changed last week vs. Tulsa.  Not only did the Golden Hurricane run for nearly 350 yards, both Trey Watts and Ja’Terian Douglas went over 100 yards on the ground. 

Enter Texas A&M running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael.  This is arguably the nation’s best tandem at the position. Michael’s season-ending injury vs. Texas Tech last season came at a time when he was the Aggies’ starter.  Gray took over and extended his 100-yard game rushing streak to nine last week vs. Idaho.   It will be important for Cowboys safety Markelle Martin to break down and tackle well in the open field.  He needs to make his hard-hitting presence felt early in this matchup. 

Tannehill vs. Weeden

Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill seems to have started the season where he left off a year ago, when he led the Aggies to six straight wins before losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl.  However, the one thing that has yet to be tested is the type of hectic on-ball defensive pressure that the Cowboys can bring.   Undoubtedly, the Cowboys’ defense will be tested by Tannehill’s unique mobility, horizontal and vertical passing accuracy and his timely decision-making.  Make no mistake about it, he will force Oklahoma State to defend the entire field.

“Tannehill is an excellent quarterback,”  DC Young said at the Cowboys’ weekly press conference on Monday.  “He throws the ball well, moves around the pocket and they’ve got a great group of receivers and running backs to help him out.”

One of those receivers is standout 6-foot-4 senior Jeff Fuller.  Fuller has been hampered with a hamstring strain since training camp.  In fact, he’s been wearing a sleeve on his leg to help warm up the leg strain during games.  Fuller began to round back into form last week with 5 receptions vs. Idaho, but the team needs him to return to full strength. 

On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon has had his moments, but QB Brandon Weeden is completing passes at an astounding rate.  While Weeden has been spreading the ball around, with precision, he has served up six interceptions in just three games.  Regardless, when you’re completing nearly 73% of your passes, opposing players take notice.

“A sack is great, but knocking him down and letting him know we are coming is just as important,” senior DE Jerod-Eddie said. 

Prediction

The home field advantage should prove to be an innate advantage for the Aggies.  We feel the Cowboys are rolling offensively-not a surprise-but their defense still leaves a lot to be desired.  We expect the Aggies to try to keep the ball out of the hands of Weeden.  It’s important to remember that Texas A&M did not have Tannehill at QB-he was at WR-in the Big 12 opener last season.  Former A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson-despite compiling over 400 yards passing-threw four costly interceptions in the Cowboys’ 38-35 victory in Boone Pickens Stadium.  Tannehill doesn’t commit unforced errors and he leads the Big 12’s most balanced offensive attack.

It’s an offense that will have to put up points against a Cowboy team that scores them in bunches.  The story of this game will be which defense plays the best.  We give the slight edge to the Aggies. 

Texas A&M 42 Oklahoma State 38